Winter Evening Routine

6-7ish: DINNER TIME. The best time of the night! After work, I usually come home super ready to eat food. Lately, I've been having salmon and some kind of veggie (broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts), and some brown rice pasta if I'm feeling more hungry.

During dinner, I'll talk to my roommates and watch some TV (especially if it's Bachelor Monday), or read my book. After dinner, I'll make my breakfast for the morning. This past week, I've been whipping up some easy overnight gluten-free oats, and they're SO GOOD. I'll also pack one or two hardboiled eggs that I prepped . (My lunch is already set to go in its tupperware, thanks to my Sunday cook-fest!).

7 - 9ish: Post-food, the night's activities will vary. If it's Monday, I'll do my laundry; on Wednesdays, my friends and I have Chapter for our sorority; other nights, I'll hang out with my roommates and stay in to work, read books, or watch Netflix.

9pm: Washing my face is the second best time of the night! In the summer & fall, I had been experimenting with the oil cleansing method, and it was working super well for my skin. This winter, though, with my skin being more dry than in the warmer months, the hot water steam/rinse (that's an important part of washing one's face with nourishing oils), wasn't a big success. So, for February and January, I've been sticking mostly to honey face masks and Dickinson's Witch Hazel, and those have been working great. Here's what I do:

1.) Wash my hands

2.) Use a Dickinson's Witch Hazel makeup remover pad (the best I've found for sensitive skin) to take off the majority of the makeup I have on. I typically just wear primer, powder, blush, and concealer. Then, because it's so much fun, I use coconut oil to take off my mascara. I love using coconut oil for this!! It feels SO moisturizing.

3.) Take about 2 teaspoons of Trader Joe's raw honey into my fingertips, and massage it all over my face. Then, I leave the honey there for anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes. During this time, I'll brush my teeth, pick out my outfit for the next day, load the dishwasher, and lay out my morning exercise clothes, water bottle, and headphones.

4.) Once I'm ready to take off the honey, I gently wash it off with water and a face cloth. If my skin is feeling dry, I'll go right to moisturizing with jojoba oil. But if it's not too dry, then I'll use my Dickinson's Witch Hazel for toner (with a little face pad).

9:30pm: It's time for me to become a total grandma, get under the covers, and listen to a podcast for 10/15 minutes before falling happily asleep. My favorite podcasts are: Happier with Gretchen Rubin, The Paleo Women Podcast, Serial, and the Balanced Bites Podcast.